


hellfire, hellfire (take my soul)

by WildeChild17



Series: not your ordinary family [8]
Category: Metal Fight Beyblade | Beyblade Metal Saga
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:21:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28722774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildeChild17/pseuds/WildeChild17
Summary: Nero had always said, that if he ever got the chance to meet Damian Hart, he'd make the Kerbecs Blader pay for what he did to his brother in the World Championships. A year after Nemesis, as the world recovers from the god of destruction, Nero gets his chance to do just that. Now the question is... Will Nero be able to keep a clear enough head to not lose part of himself in the process?
Relationships: Julius Caesar | Julian Konzern & Nero Konzern, Nero Konzern & Original Character(s)
Series: not your ordinary family [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589986
Kudos: 4





	hellfire, hellfire (take my soul)

**Author's Note:**

> title of fic taken from Barns Courtney's song "hellfire"

"The EU is hosting a tournament next month, here in Rome,"

The clinking of silverware paused at Julian's statement; eyes were drawn to Excalibur's leader in silent question for him to continue.

"To raise money for the repairs Nemesis did," Julian clarified. "I've heard Bladers from all over will be coming to compete. All ticket sells and entry fees will be used to help pay for repairs."

"When you say… Bladers from all over…" Nero trailed off, eyeing his brother warily, "Does that mean the world, or just the country?"

"Hm, well, the world, but certain criteria has to be met for a person to enter," Julian admitted, shrugging. "Sticking to EU theme of only allowing certain people to battle and such, those that are organizing the Tournament of the Gods have stated that those with direct connections to European myths are only allowed to enter."

"Still quite a bit of people," Sophie commented. "Is it a single-entry tournament, or are tag-teams allowed?"

"No tag-teams, I'm afraid," Julian shook his head. "But I've already received word from Madoka that Gingka and a few of other Legendary Bladers will be attending the tournament."

Nero paused, his bite of grilled chicken halfway to his mouth, before he groaned and set his fork back down, "And you're telling us because you offered them a place to stay while they're in town."

"It's not like we have the room," Julian shrugged. "And why wouldn't I? They are our friends, after all."

"So, you're willingly willing to deal with Gingka Hagane and whatever chaos he's going to be bringing with him?" Nero asked, bewildered.

"I deal with you, don't I?"

"Okay, one, rude. Two, Gingka's a whole other level than I am," Nero pointed out.

"Is he though?" Lucas asked, from Nero's left. He raised an eyebrow when Nero pinned him with a glare, "Actually, I think the question to be asking is, will Julian lose it when you and Gingka end up getting along like a house on fire?" He paused, "… Please don't set the mansion on fire."

But Lucas' words seemed to have lit up a spark in Nero and a new horror in Julian, much to the rest of Excalibur's amusement.

"… Gods, what have I done?"

* * *

The day of the tournament came with an excitement that one could taste in the air. There were, indeed, entries from all around the world, and with over a hundred Bladers gathered for the tournament. From members of the World Championship teams, Battle Bladers, and, yes, the Legendary Bladers, to even Bladers who were new to the sport, the stadium was crowded. It was even more crowded with the spectators who wanted to watch, seats having been bought and filled up faster than officials could have expected.

There were two blocks to compete in—A-block and B-Block, the starting numbers on both sides being sixty-four Bladers. With every round, the number would be cut in half until finally, the final Blader standing from A and B block would go head-to-head in the finals.

Nero found himself going up against a couple of unknown Bladers in his first and second round matches, Kuro Blackheart in the third round of the A-Block, winning by just the skin of his teeth, and then another no-name Blader in the fourth round of battles. That battle he won easily. Now, as he stood by Lucas while they waited for the fifth-round battles to be generated, he found himself bored and slightly hungry.

"And we're soon to start our fifth round, ladies and gentlemen, so let's break it down for you!"

As the DJ began to announce those involved in the next round, Nero yawned and stretched his arms over his head, disinterested, "Well, call me back when they start them, I'm going to grab a snack at the food court—"

"And in the final A-Block match of the next round, I'm sure will be a fiery one considering it'll be between Nero Konzern and Damian Hart!" The DJ finished his announcement, "So, Bladers, you got a half hour to prepare yourselves, so make sure you're ready to go!"

Nero had frozen, arms still over his head and eyes fixed on a random point that only he could see.

_Nero Konzern and Damian Hart, Nero Konzern and Damian Hart, Nero Konzern and Damian Hart…_

His mind was whirling with other possibilities too, one of the burning questions being: How close had Julian come to meeting Damian in another battle today? Nero had been a bit peeved, earlier, when Lucas had won in his battle against Julian in the third round of the B-Block, but now relief flooded his system at the thought Lucas might have prevented another disaster from happening.

Not to say Julian probably couldn't hold his own against Damian now, but… PTSD worked wonders on anyone, and not in the good way. Jack might have changed, if his return to the Beyblade world via Destroyer Dome had proved, but Damian… In his brief time in Hades City as Ziggurat's prisoner, Nero remembered people murmuring about Damian being Ziggurat's nephew, and if Damian was raised by a psycho, wouldn't he be psycho? Not to mention, the arrangements only enhanced the darker side of a person, so that would mean, Damian had already had psychotic tendencies to begin with.

God, Nero's head hurt thinking about it all.

"Nero?" Lucas sidled up next to his friend. Despite the blank face he had, Nero could see the concern shining in those ice blue eyes he secretly adored so much, "You good?"

"Hm?" Nero lowered his arms, "Yeah, why?"

"Your phone has been dinging since they announced the battle order," Lucas deadpanned.

Now that Nero was aware, he realized that, yep, his phone was dinging repeatedly. Chuckling nervously, he pulled his phone from his pocket and sweatdropped as he opened the group chat. Lucas peered over his shoulder, settling his chin on the shorter teen's shoulder.

**BlueBloods  
** _Time for popcorn!_

**Kida  
** _Wales._

**BlueBloods  
** _What? We're all thinking it! Nero and Damian's battle is gonna be a spectacle!_

**Klaus  
** _How did none of us realize Damian was here in the first place?_

**The Emperor  
** _A question for another day  
@Hellfire where are you, we need to talk_

**BlueBloods  
** _Julian leave him alone. This entire situation was inevitable with the grudge Nero has towards the midget_

**The Emperor  
** _I know that, but that doesn't mean Nero's in a right headspace now because of it._

**BlueBloods  
** _… Fair point_

**Kida  
** _@Hellfire, Nero, dear, where are you?_

**Klaus  
** _You might have a better chance if you ding @LetitGo_

**LetitGo  
** _He's standing right here beside me, and I think he's turned into a statue cause he's not moving.  
[image . jpg]_

**The Emperor  
** _Gods above, where the hell are you two?_

**LetitGo  
** _We'll meet you at the food court in ten minutes._

Nero sighed, and ran a hand over his face, "Great… Julian's gonna wonder about my mental stability for the rest of the day now…"

"What's the deal with your grudge against Damian anyways?" Lucas asked, as he gently pushed Nero towards the concession stands. Nero felt just a bit nauseous, now, his appetite gone but a dryness in his throat he was willing to quench.

Nero thought for a moment, "Well… let me put it this way. What would you do if your and Wales' positions had been reversed, the way you two grew up?"

Luke's expression twisted, displeasure and disgust and anger, before a thoughtful look crossed his face, "I'd hate my father more for breaking Wales down and… I'd want to do anything to…" He trailed off, as he studied Nero's face, "To make sure that such a thing didn't go unpunished."

Nero nodded, "Exactly." He sighed, "And, yeah, the arrangements went a long way towards what Damian did, but… he's related to Ziggurat and the arrangements only make the darker self of a person more prominent. They don't just _create_ a new person."

Lucas hummed, understandingly, as they approached the food court. He glanced around, "Looks like they aren't here yet. You said you wanted something earlier?"

"Coffee now, thanks," Nero sighed. "Not hungry anymore."

"Hm," Lucas waved a hand. "Find us a seat, I'll get it."

Nero sat at an island surrounded by spinning stools and dropped his chin into the palm of one hand with a weary sigh, tapping his fingers against the marble tabletop. He stared up at a television that was hung up high over the food court. They were replaying the final seconds of the battles of those that had ended up in the next round, and Nero watched as the battle between Chris Cadelle and Gingka Hagane ended with Chris winning.

"You could be going up against King," Nero blinked as Sophie slid into the seat across from him, flanked by Wales and Klaus.

Nero frowned, "Eh?"

"Lucas is battling King, or did you not pay attention?" Wales asked.

Nero groaned, "No. I wasn't. Who else is in the next round?"

"Hm, well, in the A-Block, there's you, Chris Cadelle, Bao Blackheart, and, uh, Damian, of course," Wales listed off. "In the B-Bracket, there's King, Lucas, Sophie, and myself."

Nero blinked owlishly at Wales, "Lucas is going up against King, which would mean…"

Wales and Sophie traded looks, and Sophie grinned wolfishly, "Guess we'll see which one of us is the better Cetus handler, then."

Nero snickered, "I'll bet Wales and Lucas end up against each other, in the semi-finals." He glanced to his left, at Julian, who had been quiet during the conversation.

"I'm not a betting man, but just of the amusement of it, I'll take that bet," Lucas said as he reappeared next to Nero, balancing two trays of drinks and then two more of nachos. He set a coffee and nacho in front of Nero, before handing out the rest of the drinks to the EU team, and slid into his seat to Nero's right, "I got you nachos because I don't want you stealing mine."

Nero stuck his tongue out at him, "But that's half the fun—Hey!" Nero snapped his head around to glare at Julian as his brother picked a chip out of his plate, "Jules!"

"What?" Julian deadpanned as he popped the cheese covered chip in his mouth, "Luke's right, you say you're not hungry but then you steal off of everyone else because it's your way of burning nervous energy."

Nero… couldn't even deny that his brother was right, dammit. Nero sighed and rolled his eyes, and popped a nacho in his mouth, eyes flickering back up to the television screen over the food court. His expression twisted, a dark look entering his eyes as he watched Damian destroy his fourth-round opponent with more force than necessary. If there was ever any proof that Nero needed for Damian to have not changed in the last few years, then watching him completely total his opponent for a fundraiser tournament, this was it.

Honestly, despite his apprehension, Nero couldn't wait to face down Damian Hart.

* * *

The next round came, and Nero found his blood simmering in anticipation for his fight with Damian.

"Our final match of the round before we move on the semi-finals, ladies and gentlemen! Let's hear it for our Bladers, Nero Konzern and Damian Hart!"

Nero let out a slow breath, closing his eyes for a moment to drown out the cheering of the crowd. Once he was sure he wasn't going to get distracted, he stepped out of the hallway and strode down the path leading up to the Bey dish.

Damian was already there, waiting on the other side, a smirk planted firmly on his lips. Nero stared him down, before chuckling to himself and skipping up the steps to stand on his side of the dish. It was time to show the world what happened to those who crossed a Konzern and Nero would only be too glad to do it.

"So… I'm battling a Konzern again, hm?" Damian mused, tilting his head and eyeing Nero up and down, like a predator would its prey. Nero cocked an eyebrow back at him, crossing his arms over his chest, and stayed quiet, "Too bad this tournament has different rules than the World Championships did… I'd like to see what would happen with you in a best out of three battle!"

"Yeah, well, that's not happening, so just keep hoping, buddy," Nero snarked off, uncrossing his arms and lowering his hand down to Furie's case, strapped firmly against his hip and continuing to stare Damian down.

"Hm, but I do wonder if you'll fall to defeat the same way Julian did," Damian smirked. "Though, I will say it will be interesting to see what happens when our Beys clash, considering we wield similar elements and all."

Nero froze, eyes narrowing, "What do you mean?"

"Hellfire Furie, right? Hellfire, of course, and then Kerbecs can summon the same type of fire as well," Damian's smirk widened. "I wonder whose flames burn hotter."

Nero stared him down for a second, before raising Furie to clip her on to his launcher, "You're nuts if you think you'll be the one to win this."

"And then you're just like your brother if you have that attitude. And here I was thinking the opposite!"

"Enough chit-chat Bladers!" The DJ called, "Let's see who moves on to the semi-finals! Three!"

"Two!"

"One! Let it rip!"

Gold and red streaks flew through the air, and into the dish. Nero barely had a chance to steady himself before the first collision of Furie and Kerbecs caused an explosion of light and sound, the ground rumbling beneath his feet in the process.

"Now, if I've watched correctly, Furie is a left rotating Bey… Oh, this should be very interesting!" Damian chewed on his lower lip, his eyes bright.

Nero took back what he said earlier, about any mania being gone out of the midget's gaze. There was mania, and apparently it took the right conditions to bring it out.

_Well then. I can work with this,_ Nero thought with a dark chuckle. He adjusted his stance, standing straight and putting on an air of indifference.

"Yeah, Furie's left rotating. What about it?" Nero asked, making sure to keep his voice as bored as possible. If he wanted to draw Damian in…

"Left rotating Beys have been proven to be significantly stronger than normal rotating Beys, is all," Damian smirked over. "But I've also proven that I can handle even L'Drago's might—"

"Ah, ah, ah," Nero raised a hand, grinning brightly, and waved a finger at Damian. "That power was yours under the influence of _arrangements_. What about now, when it's all _you_ , _Damian Hart_?"

"What makes you think I can't get to the same level of power as Ryuga or Gingka on my own?" Damian scowled.

Nero scoffed, and made a show of checking his nails, "Because you're a lazy coward who used experimental methods to get to that level the _first_ time. Why should I expect that you actually put in the work this time around?" Hm, his nail polish was chipping, he'd have to put on a new coat when he got home—

"And you?" Damian snarled, "What about the fact _you_ went through arrangements? I heard the whispers… you were said to be as strong as I was, or even stronger, by the time they got done with you."

_("Has Damian got a death wish?" Wales asked, hand halfway to the popcorn bucket he had._

" _Well, it's not like he knows not to bring up the arrangements to Nero, so… probably not?" Sophie tried._

" _Either way, he's signed his death warrant," Lucas commented.)_

Nero bristled, staring pointedly at the tips of his fingers.

"The difference between you and I, Damian," Nero finally spoke, voice low and dangerous. He looked up to meet Damian's gaze, pleased to see a flicker of fear cross the shorter man's face at whatever he saw in Nero's eyes, "Is that I was _forced_ to do those arrangements. You agreed to them. Any power I have now, it is because I put in the time, effort, the blood, sweat, and tears to get it." He bared his teeth and adjusted his stance, "Hellfire Furie! Hellfire Blast!"

Furie pulsed red under her master's command, erupting into dark flames and slamming into Kerbecs at top speed. The result of the clash caused an explosion of light and noise, but Nero still heard Damian cackling over it all.

"You fool! Kerbecs' fusion when won't allow you to—what?!"

Nero laughed out loud at the look of shock and horror that replaced Damian's smug look, as the dust cleared to reveal Furie steadily pushing Kerbecs towards the edge of the dish with a barrage attack, "What was that, Damian? I don't think I heard you! Keep going, Furie!"

Furie slammed hard into Kerbecs, sending the other Bey flying back far closer to the edge than her previous attacks had. Before Furie could charge forward for the final blow, Damian shouted wordlessly, startling Nero and breaking his concentration. In response to Nero's distraction, Furie went flying by and into the air.

"Furie!" Nero shouted, eyes wide.

"Go now, Kerbecs! Special Move, Hades Drive!"

Fuck, Nero swore to himself, as Kerbecs began to race around the dish, summoning up his own round of hellfire. It's not like Furie can't handle it… He narrowed his eyes at the flames leaping from the dish, Hell, these aren't even as hot as the ones Furie can create.

An idea occurred to Nero, then, as Furie landed back in the dish surrounded by the flames. He felt his lips curl up into a wicked grin.

"Furie! Special Move, Ring of Fire!" Nero swept his arm out, and while he couldn't see his partner, he knew she reacted when Kerbecs' special move was canceled out by a second ring of flames, replaced by dark flames that burned hotter and higher than the ones before. He watched, muttering to himself, "Well if that doesn't answer whose flames are stronger, I don't know what will." He shook his head, "Alright, we've played around long enough, it's time to—"

A low rumbling noise filled the air, causing Nero to tilt his head curiously. A sense of dread washed over him, making him shuffle nervously. Just what was going on?

"Thanks for the boost pal!" Damian laughed, "The hotter the flames, the greater power Kerbecs has! Kerbecs! Open, Hades Gate!"

_Hades Gate!_ Nero felt all the blood drain from his face as the golden gates shimmered to life. _Cazzo! I've got to act before—_

The gates swung open, and three sets of red eyes glowed from within the shadows, the sounds of snarling and barking filling the air.

"Furie!" Nero shouted, determined and desperate to ensure a win. With a loud cry, his partner flashed into existence, her snaked hair hissing and lashing in the air around her, her steady and defensive, ready and waiting for Nero's next command.

"Resistance is futile," Damian chuckled, darkly, eyes bright with manic mirth. "You'll be dragged into Hades, no matter how hard you fight! Kerbecs!"

Nero's breath caught in his throat as golden chains lashed through the air, encircling Furie's form and knocking her off balance. She cried out in surprise, and then dug her heels in, hissing and fighting every inch of being dragged forward. Briefly, she turned to Nero, red eyes glowing brightly.

Something shifted in Nero, as his connection with his partner shook under an unseen strain. Furie… Furie wasn't meant to be used for dark purposes, she never had been. She was like Nero, in the aspect that she burned brightly—weather to bring joy to people or to show reign down her own form of righteousness. But now… now she wasn't just being used to right a wrong… she was being used in a form of revenge.

Nero swallowed thickly and ground his teeth together as he tried desperately to come up with a plan, any plan, to get out of Kerbecs' grip. If there was only someway that he could break the chains and—

_Wait. Break the chains. Break the chains!_ Nero thought, giddily, "Furie! Special Move, Hellfire Blast!"

The two Bladers had already proven exactly what Nero had suspected—Furies flames burned hotter than Kerbecs, and if that was true then…

Furie unleashed a torrent of flames on the chains holding her, and at first, Damian just laughed at the action, starting on some tirade about how Nero was only delaying the inevitable and that he should just beg for mercy, because there was no way he was—

The chains snapped under the heat of Furie's flames, and they fell away from her body. With a triumphant cry, she beat her wings and took to the air, leaving behind Kerbecs' disgruntled roar and Damian's cry of rage.

Nero felt his expression morph into something savage as he looked across the dish at Damian's stricken expression, "It's the end of the line for you now, Damian! Hellfire Furie!"

Furie landed back in the dish, the events of the battle having effectively pissed her off—and, admittedly, Nero too—if the way she was growling and spitting sparks was any indication.

"Alright then, Furie, we've wasted enough of our audience's time," Nero mused. "So, let's finish this. Special Move—"

"Kerbecs!" Damian cried, desperation coloring his voice. Nero grinned wider, savoring the other's despair, "Hades Drive!"

"Too late!" Nero laughed, as black and purple flames erupted in the stadium, "Furie, Hell Raiser!"

The flames exploded into an inferno, tainted with hues of red and orange that quickly rose to be higher and brighter than Kerbecs' own. Furie screamed as vanished and then she was shooting towards Kerbecs, her flames circling the golden Bey and shielding them both from view.

The ground shook with the explosion that followed, a golden light filling the sky and forcing some to look away or risk being blinded. Nero's lips curled into a smirk as the light faded and the smoke began to settle.

Furie spun steadily in the dish, glowing red hot, while Kerbecs lay nearby, half melted and motionless.

Damian fell to his knees with a choked sob, and Nero called Furie back into his hand at the DJ's announcement of his win.

" _Nero Konzern moves on to the semi-finals!_ " The DJ boomed over the roaring of the crowd, but Nero ignored it in favor of speaking to Damian.

"Next time, Damian, make sure those you break don't have family who are willing to go to bat for them," Nero drawled. "Because I have waited a _long_ time for this moment."

"Yeah?" Damian looked up, voice hoarse and eyes bright with anger, "Well, was it worth it?"

Nero tilted his head, regarding Damian thoughtfully, "In all honesty?" He took a moment to sort through his emotions, before laughing and giving Damian a vicious smirk, "It's far better than I thought it would be."

As Nero turned away, Furie buzzed with energy, and the fact that his partner also thought the wait was worth the reward was enough to send Nero's good mood even higher.

* * *

His good mood helped him through his semi-final battle with Chris Cadelle, and though he barely pulled off the win he needed to move on to the finals, he did. His good mood stuttered, though, as he watched Lucas win against Wales in the B-Block semi-finals and cement his place in the finals.

" _Dannazione_ ," Nero cursed, glaring at the television screen.

Beside him, Lucas laughed as he turned away, the damn bastard. He winked over his shoulder, "See you on stage, Nero."

"Did… Did he just wink at me?" Nero asked, no one in particular.

Sophie giggled, while Julian patted his brother's head in a way that was probably supposed to be comforting, but only felt mocking to Nero.

"Get downstairs, Nero, we'll be cheering you on," Julian said, amused.

"Just don't let love blind you," Wales sang, and barely dodged the punch Nero threw his way. Cackling, Wales saluted, "Good luck!"

" _Tutti voi potete andare all'inferno_ ," Nero hissed, viciously, as he spun on his heel and made his way to the arena floor. Night had long since fallen, and the arena was lit up with bright lights, ones that could blind if you looked directly at them.

"And here we are ladies and gentlemen!" The DJ began, "After a long day of battles, we're down to the final two, the two Bladers who have proven they have what it takes to make it this far, but now… now they're fighting for the biggest honor of all—the blessing of the gods, and whoever wins this battle, earns that honor! Who will it be—the ice prince of B-Block, Lucas Reynolds? Or the fire spitting hot shot of A-Block, Nero Konzern?! Let us quit wasting time and find out! Bladers, ready yourselves!"

Nero exhaled slowly and raised his launcher. He'd battled Lucas plenty of times before, but that didn't mean he had always won. The last time he had checked, they were tied in their wins against each other, and yes, he was keeping track, don't judge him.

"Three!"

He and Lucas knew each other's battle styles, and their skill levels. But, given the fact that they had both been going hard at it in battles all day… Well, it was really anyone's game now.

"Two!"

But, there was one thing that stayed consistent, since the second time that Nero and Lucas had battled…

"One! Let it rip!"

"Khione, Ice Strike!"

"Furie, Hellfire Blast!"

They always called special moves right at launch.

A whirlwind of hot and cold air erupted from the dish as the two special moves clashed, frost and sparks flying around the two Bladers as their partners began to clash in multiple head on attacks. Nero grinned, adjusting his stance, "Come on, Luke, I didn't claw my way through some Legendary Bladers just to be hit with that old move!"

"What and you think I just breezed my way through B-Block! You want a fight, you're getting one! Khione!"

"Furie!"

"Mamma Mia, look at these two go at it! Again, and again, Nero and Lucas meet head on in wicked, powerful attacks! Who will be the winner here?!"

Khione pulsed bright blue and charged forward, "Icicle Barrage!"

"Furie!" Nero shouted, "Ring of Fire!"

"Khione moves to deliver a barrage attack but is held at bay by Furie's flames! What will Lucas do next?!"

"Black Ice!" Lucas changed tactics, and Khione released a small shockwave, ice coating the dish all around Furie and trapping her in the center of the dish. Khione circled around on the ice, as elegant and graceful as an ice skater while Lucas debated his choices.

Nero let him, yawning and stretching. He could, if he so wanted to, get rid of the ice with any of Furie's special moves, but where would the fun in that be? There were so few people that Nero had ever met that could meet him move for move in battle, and Lucas was one of them, with his control of ice and ability to come up with strategies on the fly? Nero got a thrill every time they met in battle, even almost three years after they had first clashed head on. Every battle left Nero feeling giddy, even if he lost. It just meant he had to push himself further to win the next time, and the thing was, Lucas seemed only too happy to be right by his side every time.

… Gods, Nero really was a sucker for his best friend, wasn't he? No wonder Julian and his teammates seemed to be equally exasperated and amused by their relationship.

"Icicle Barrage!" Luke's shout snapped Nero from his thoughts, and he yelped in surprise as Khione began to deliver a series of brutal blows. Lucas grinned over, happy and bright and breathtaking, "What's the matter Nero? Got your head in the clouds?! Pay attention, why don't you!"

"Just admiring the view," Nero smirked back, and Lucas blinked at him, before shrugging and turning back to the battle. Nero pouted, muttering, "Oh, come on, no one is _that_ oblivious."

Weather or not Lucas was or wasn't, though, wasn't important in that moment. Nero found himself focused on the battle, as he and Lucas began to play their game in earnest, trading blows back and forth and flipping between offensive and defensive plays, trying to get one up on the other in an attempt to send the other out of the battle.

Finally, after a grueling several minutes of battles, both Bladers stepped back, panting heavily. In the dish below, Khione and Furie spun, though Furie's was drastically slower than Khione, a prime example of Khione's stamina outlasting Furie's own.

Still, so long as both Nero and Furie were standing, Nero wouldn't give up. Plus… he had one last trick up his sleeve. Just enough energy for one more move, so long as he could get the drop on Lucas.

Luke's chest was rapidly rising and falling, and his eyes were bright with excitement, his face split in a wide grin. It was a sight Nero wished he could hold on to, even for a moment, but Luke was probably expecting Nero to silently call a momentary truce so they could both catch their breath.

_Sorry, Luke,_ Nero thought. _But I'm taking this tournament home._

Taking a deep breath, Nero straightened and squared his shoulders, "Hellfire Furie, Special Move, Hell Raiser!"

Surprise flooded Luke's face. The crowd roared its approval as Furie appeared on stage, haloed by flames.

"Khione!" Lucas called, but it was too late. Even as the ice goddess shimmered into existence, ready to heed her master's command, Furie was already in action.

Furie spun her sword and swung it down into the ground. Smoke and sparks erupted from the cracks in the dish, before, at Furie's war cry, a column of flames burst forth, shielding both Furie and Khione from view.

The flames died down, and with their disappearance, the winner was revealing.

" _There he is, ladies and gentlemen! The winner of the Tournament of the Gods—Nero Konzern!_ "

Nero whooped, pumping his fist at the announcement. Furie flew back into his hand at his silent command and Nero laughed giddily. Across the dish, Lucas stood up from where he'd been picking up Khione and laughed lightly. He tipped his head with a smirk, "Great job, Konzern. Looks like you're in the lead now."

Nero grinned bigger than he ever thought he could, because honestly, today had turned out to be one of the best days he'd ever had.

* * *

"Nero… Nero, fratellino, wake up,"

"Ngg, five more minutes, Ric…"

"…"

Nero yelped as someone twisted his ear, effectively waking him up. He shot up, rubbing his ear, "Julian! What the hell?"

"We're home, brat," Julian rolled his eyes. "You fell asleep on the ride back."

"Huh?" Nero squinted, turning in his seat to see that the Konzern limo was in fact, sitting in front of the main entrance to the mansion, "Oh, yeah, guess I did. Well then."

"Come on, you can sleep once you're in bed," Julian rolled his eyes, again. He seemed to be in a good mood.

"What, you're going to let me skip dinner?" Nero asked, incredulously, as he climbed out of the car. He paused, before stretching back inside and snatching his trophy from the tournament up.

"I think it can be overlooked just this once, but don't make a habit of it," Julian replied. "I don't want you backsliding again."

Nero's expression twisted, "Julian, c'mon, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

Julian paused, halfway up the steps, and turned to look at Nero. His face was thrown into the shadows of the porch lights, but Nero could still see the pointed look his brother was giving him. Which… alright, fine, Nero could see Julian's point.

"Ugh, Julian, seriously. I'm not gonna go off the deep end," Nero groaned, brushing by his brother and into the front entry. "Not planning on it, anyways. Today is not going to have any sort of lasting impact on me."

"… If you say so,"

"And I swear if you start hovering like some mother hen, I will stab you,"

"You can't blame me for just want to look out for your well-being!"

"I can if you get to be suffocating…"

Nero didn't see any of their guests in the front lounge, or Excalibur for that matter, so he shrugged and went on up the stairs towards his room. Julian followed, and Nero kept his cool up until they were outside his room. He whirled around, and leveled a finger towards Julian's face, "Julian. I mean it. I'm. Fine."

"I trust you to say if you aren't," Julian said, and gently pushed Nero's hand away.

"Then _why are you here_?"

A weird expression flitted across Julian's face, and Nero waited as Julian got his words together.

"You did well today, Nero," Julian finally said. "I'm proud of you."

Nero blinked, surprised. Of course, he'd heard Julian say those words before, but…

"You always seemed like you'd rather I never battle Damian," Nero frowned. "What changed?"

"I thought it'd be different… that you might fall to your anger and end up hurt," Julian admitted with a sigh. "But then, I watched you today and realized I was worrying for nothing." He paused, and squinted, "Well, except for that one moment when it looked like Damian had you cornered. How did you do manage to get out of Kerbecs' hold?"

Nero's lips quirked a little, "Heh. A secret only those who can control hellfire would understand, big brother."

Julian stared at him, before shrugging, "Alright. I've said my piece and we had a long day. Get some sleep, Nero, and make sure you're down for lunch tomorrow, or I'm coming for you."

Nero grinned, then, "You got it, Jules. I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, the brothers parted ways. Nero ducked into his room as Julian walked away, the door clicking shut behind him. With a sigh, Nero leaned against the wood at his back, body sagging. Today had been long and Nero was exhausted, having reached an emotional high unlike one he'd experienced in a while.

As Nero settled in to getting ready for bed, emptying pockets, changing clothes and going through his nightly routine, he found his hand hovering over Furie as he set her on his desk. She thrummed with energy under his fingertips, her red energy ring glowing in the dim lamplight.

Truthfully… Julian had had every right to be worried over Nero succumbing to his anger in his battle against Damian, but the thing was… that was also the secret behind the ability to control hellfire. It was the emotions that fueled the flames that decided the battle—the more negative the emotions, the darker the flames became, but the purer the emotions a person felt, the brighter the flames were.

Nero flashbacked to today's battle, recalling how, in the final moments, Damian's flames had been dark—black and blue and purple, where as Furie's had been orange and red, some borderline white. If Nero had ever needed proof that, yeah, emotions fueled the flames of life, then today had been it.

"Thank you, Furie," Nero hummed. "Not sure today would have turned out the way it did without you by my side."

Furie hummed contently under Nero's hand, before finally falling silent. Nero sighed, smiled lightly, and crawled into bed.

Today had been a good day, and that's all that mattered.

**Author's Note:**

> Translations:
> 
> Cazzo! - Fuck!
> 
> Dannazione! - Goddammit!
> 
> Tutti voi potete andare all'inferno. - All of you can go to hell/You all can go to hell.
> 
> So! I have wanted to do this for a while now, and finally got around to starting it a few days ago. For me, this was more to compare and contrast Damian and Nero, and their skills. From the show, I got that Damian's element is fire- which I've always dubbed hellfire, because of the underworld theme he has going on- and if you guys know my writing, you know Nero controls the same element. That is, by no means, a coincidence. I could have easily gone for a different mythological figure to be Nero's partner, but I chose the Furies of the Greek underworld for a reason, but it's the symbolism of Nero controlling the element that Damian used to beat Julian that I really wanted to sell- that it depends on the person and how they use this element. Which I explained in the ending here of the oneshot. Nero may have his fair share of demons and darkness to deal with in my canon, but the thing to remember is this: Nero will always be using hellfire as a way to purify things, in a sense.
> 
> Sorry for my ramblings ;-; But! I hope ya'll enjoyed and will leave a review! Until next time, ciao!


End file.
